Breather trap



y 26, 1954 I G. E. RIPLEY 3,134,658

BREATHER TRAP Filed Oct. 21. 1960 INVENTOR GERALD E R/PLEY HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent soll-Rand Company, New Yor N .Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 64,172 1 Claim. (Cl. 55-441) This invention relates to breather devices for crankcases of internal combustion engines and the like, and more particularly to a breather having a trap to collect fluid particles entrained with gas being vented.

It is an object of this invention to provide a structure for a crankcase breather easily manufactured, inexpensive and efiicient.

Other objects and the advantages of the construction will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The drawing illustrates an improved and preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 1 is an end view of the breather trap taken from the inlet side,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 2-2 looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along the line 3-3 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 44 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, the internal combustion engine breather trap of the invention is in this instance constructed of tubes and plates, mainly, put together in such a way as to be rigid, not easily damaged and put together with a minimum of time and effort. To this end the main body of the trap is formed of a cylindrical tube blanked at one end by a plate 12 held in place by welding at its outer edge as shown at 14. The other end of the chamber casing 10 is likewise provided with a plate 16 welded in place and of substantial thickness to receive and support an inlet tube 18, plate 16 being provided with a circular recess to fit closely the inlet tube or conduit 18 as shown at 20, the two parts being welded together. Inlet tube or conduit 18 is flanged as at 22 for connection with a crankcase (not shown).

The outlet which is to be connected to a stack 24 serves a double purpose as is here formed, not only as an outlet but as a battle to direct condensate or rainwater draining back from stack 24 into tube 34 and to prevent condensate and rainwater from entering casing 10. For this purpose the upper side of casing 10 is provided with a circular opening 26 to receive a tubular member 28 welded into an orifice 26 and extending therethrough and well into the interior of casing 10 perpendicular to the axis of conduit 18. For connection to stack 24, tubular outlet 28 is provided with a sturdy flange 30 which can be formed of a suitable piece of plate material.

interposed between the tubular outlet 28 and the inlet orifice 20 is positioned a baffle 32 consisting of a semicircular plate perpendicular to the axis of inlet conduit 18. Still another baflie is formed by a cylindrical tube 34 extending into casing 10 from the bottom at a hole 36 at which casing 10 and bafiie 34 are welded. Battle 34 extends upwardly above the lower edge of tubular outlet 28 and above the lower edge of the straight bafiie 32. The lower end of the tubular bathe 34 is closed by a plate 38 welded in place.

Positioned between baffle 32 and the hole 20 is a perforated plate 40 preferably acting as a diffuser to cause gas into chamber 10 from inlet conduit 18 to spread evenly throughout the inner area of casing 10 and additionally to catch a large part of whatever droplets of lubricating oil may be entrained in the gas.

It will be seen that such gas entering through inlet conduit 18 will first impinge on the diffuser 40 by which a large amount of the entrained liquid will be caught and drop to the bottom of casing 10 from either side of the diflfuser, and then pass in a relatively straight stream in the direction of baiile 32 by which the direction of flow will be changed to pass upwardly and about the upper edge of the tubular baffle 34. Not being able to pass out at the outlet directly the stream of gas will be deflected by the outlet-baffle 28 downwardly toward the bottom of the chamber formed by the circular bafile 34. However, in orderto get out at the stack 24 the stream will again turn upwardly. In the course of the various turnings and due to the velocity of such gas, maintained because of the relatively small cross sectional area of the stream, particles of the liquid lubricant will impinge on the batfie surfaces and drop to the bottom of the casing 10 where it will be drained back by a pipe 42 attached to casing 10 at a hole 44 in the bottom of the casing or at least at a low point thereof and straddling in this instance the diffuser 40. Condensation inside bafile 34 can be removed at a drain 46 usually closed by plug 48.

Thus, by the above construction are accomplished, among others, the objects hereinbefore referred to.

I claim:

A crankcase breather trap comprising a tubular casing, a tubular inlet conduit coaxial with said casing and sealingly mounted thereon, a tubular outlet extending trans- 1 versely into said chamber, a cylindrical bafile in said casing coaxial with and encircling said outlet, said bafile being open at the top to the interior of said casing, a perforated diffuser plate positioned transversely in said casing between said baffle and said inlet conduit, a second bafiie across the upper portion of the casing and extending below the top of said cylindrical baffle and positioned parallel to said diffuser and between the tubular bafile and the difiuser, and a drain at a low point of said casing outside said cylindrical bafile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,490,186 Rowe Apr. '15, 1924 1,963,526 Morrow June '19, 1934 2,051,567 McGee Aug. 18, 1936 2,088,994 Corey Aug. 3, 1937 2,896,743 Bradshaw July 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 308,178 Great Britain Apr. 3, 1930 3 04 Ge m y A r, 21. 

